Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1887-06-27


carried him deep below the rushing wa
terS of the Mississippi. Behind him, a.
he struck the surface. rang sharp eNplo-
sion; and then, with a short interval
whose seconds no man counted, a great
column fof flame and blackneSs shot up
ward for hundred feet into the air. ac-
companied by vast volume of stunning
sOund-the voices of many detonations
blended thunderously into one.
Nearly a minute later Randall'S head
came out of the water, many rods down
the river.
They're all gone - he exclaimed.
He was a good swimmer. and an eddy
aided him TO reach the bank. He hurried
to the spot where a yawning rift in the
side of the levee now marked the landing
place of the powder-barge. There was
no other sign that any such boat had ever
been there. except the long, cleaning
rows of percussion shells yet lying just
beyond the ridge. Not one of them had
been exploded by the conclusion.
y hen the Colonel of Artillery came
galloping up, half an hour later, Randall
touched his hat and pointed at the shells
on the levee.
Colonel he said, ''thats about all
the report l can make"
Il heard the other report" said the
Colonel, land so did all Memphis. How
did you manage TO escape?" That report
was briefly made. i could hear the ex-
plosion while I was under water. 1t jar
red me all over. but it didn't stun me"
Randall said.
The Colonel took off his hat and re-
marked with strong emphasis: Now,
that's what l call presence of mind :"
How Napoleon Terrorized People.
All equality, all familiarity, freedom, or
cOmpamonship fed at its his approach
When he had been appointed to command
the army of Italy, Admiral Decres, who
had known him well at Paris, hearing that
he was TO pass through ToulOn, offered to
present all his comrades. The admiral
says: I ran full of delight and eagerness
to greet him. The doors of the salon
opened. I was going TO spring toward
him. when his attitude. his look, the
sound of his voice, were sufficient TO ar
rest me. There was nothing offensive or
insulting: but it was enough. After that
l never tried to Overstep the distance that
he had placed between US"
Some days later, at Albenga, the gener-
ais of division. among the rest Augereau,
a kind of heroical, rough old soldier.
proud of his tall form and of his bravery,
came TO headquarters very badly disposed
toward the little upstart whom they had
sent to them from Paris. From the de-
scription given of him, Augereau is in
sulting and insubordinate in advance "A
favorite of Barras :" he says "a street
general, :" They are admitted, and Bona
parte makes them wait. He appears fin
ally girds on his sword, puts on his hat,
explains his dispositions, gives them his
orders, and dismisses them. Augereau
had remained dumb; when they are out
side he first RECEIVERS himself, and 1nds
again his customary oaths. He agrees
with Massena, that THAT little b of a
general frightened him" He is not able
TO understand. the ascendency with which
he felt himself crushed at the first glance" "
Another specimen of this ascendency on
another old soldier of the Revolution,
still rougher and more energetic than Au-
gereau. is given in the experience Of Gen.
Vandamme In 1915, Vandamme said
to Marshal SOult, one day as they were as
cending together the steps of the Tuiller-
les My dear friend, that devil of a man
(referring TO the Emperor exercises a
fascination over me that l am unable 70
account for. 1t influences me to a degree
that 1, who fear neither God nor devil,
am ready TO tremble like a child when he
approaches He could make me pass thro'
the eye of a needle; TO cast myself in the
fire for him." And he himself said on a
certain occasion: Yes, / am soldier,
because it i the especial gift / received
at my birth; it is my existence, my habit
of life. Wherever / have been I have
commanded. At twenty-three years Of
age l commanded at the siege Of TOulOn /;
commanded in Paris on the Vendemiaie !;
l aroused the enthusiasm of the soldiers
in Italy as soon as l appeared before
them; l was born for that" His was an
extraordinary and superior nature, made
for command and conquest.